Rommel Loses Strategically, While British Grow Stronger

Northern Advocate, 7 March 1942, Page 5

Rommel Loses Strategically, While British Grow Stronger

[British Official Wireless] (Received 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, March 6. THE INSEPARABILITY OF THE PRESENT MIDDLE 1 EASTERN PROBLEMS—MILITARY, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL—WAS SHOWN CLEARLY BY CAPTAIN OLIVER LYTTELTON IN A COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY OF THE TASK HE WAS CALLED UPON TO DO AS MINISTER OF STATE IN CAIRO. Captain Lyttelton recently returned to this country to take charge of the whole field of production here. He emphasised first that, contrary to the impression gained by the public, General Rommel’s advance to the eastern areas of Cyrenaica was in no wise an increased threat to Egypt. In fact, the initial British advance to Jedabaya-Agheila area set back Rommel’s plans to an extent not generally appreciated. At Bardia, the British captured the main supplies—including between 50,000 and 100,000 tons of ammunition—which Rommel was massing for the assault on Egypt, and are now in a far better defensive position than before. The British have, it is true, sustained a technical defeat, *but this involves a geographical loss out of all proportion to the strategic loss, he said.

Two Focal Points

There are only two focal points of operations in Cyrenaica, one in the Bardia-Sollum area and the other in the Jedabaya-Agheila area, and Rommel, in the former area, is now practically in the same position as the British were in the latter area, except that his striking force for offensive purposes has been materially lessened in the course of the campaign. The fundamental object of the British campaigns in north Africa is the protection of the two great lifelines of supply—the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. This object we are achieving. The north African campaign l has forced the Germans to withdraw, among other supplies, one complete air fleet from the Russian front. This has without doubt contributed to the Russian successes, which have removed the threat to the Persian Gulf via Iraq and Iran. Thus, military opera l ions are indivisible. Self-Supporting Countries But Captain Lyttelton’s chief task has been the organisation of the entire Middle East as a group of selfsupporting countries, and this has been substantially furthered by military operations, both in North Africa and Russia. Britain is now more or less in occupation or control of a large number of countries in the Middle East, and the methods are completely different from those of the Nazis. They strip the country of everything —Greece is an outstanding example—whereas Britain organises the.countries on a self-supporting basis. The importance of the safeguarding of the great supply lines is seen in the fact that by this means the British Government has been able to pour through them large quantities of wheat to repair the deficiency caused by last year’s poor harvest throughout the Middle East as a whole. Proof of Policy

In Cyprus, Syria. Pale Stine, Egypt and Iraq there is at the present time a “minus” wheat position. But Britain has been able to alleviate the shortage and in some cases remove it altogether.

“I have left my task incomplete, but an organisation has been built up in the Middle East which is now working smoothly,” said Captain Lyttelton.